Kathmandu Valley Nepal

Kathmandu Valley: Three Cities, Seven UNESCO Sites

The Kathmandu Valley is a bowl-shaped plateau at about 1,350 metres elevation, containing three former city-states that were rivals until Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal in 1768: Kathmandu, Patan (officially Lalitpur), and Bhaktapur. Each city has a Durbar Square (palace square) with concentrations of temples, courtyards, and carved woodwork that between them constitute one of the densest collections of medieval architecture in Asia. Seven components of the valley are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The 2015 Gorkha earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and damaged or destroyed dozens of significant structures in all three cities. Reconstruction has been ongoing; some sections of the Durbar Squares are still under restoration. What remains is still extraordinary.

The three cities

Kathmandu Durbar Square (Hanuman Dhoka) in the old city has Kumari Ghar - the house of the living goddess, where the Kumari (a prepubescent girl selected as a living deity) occasionally appears at an upper window. Photography of the Kumari herself is prohibited. The Kasthamandap (a 12th-century wooden pavilion that gave the city its name, destroyed in 2015 and rebuilt by 2022) is the focal point.

Patan is 5km south and has the most refined of the three Durbar Squares. The Krishna Mandir (1636, the first all-stone temple in the valley) and the Patan Museum in the old royal palace are the main draws. The museum is the best-curated of all the valley’s museums and covers the artistic traditions of the Newar people who built these cities. Entry around NPR 500.

Bhaktapur is 15km east, less touristed, better preserved, and charges foreigners an entry fee (around USD 15) at the city gates. The potters’ square in Taumadhi tole, the 55-window palace, and the Dattatraya temple are the highlights. It warrants a full afternoon.

Boudhanath and Pashupatinath

Boudhanath Stupa (5km east of Kathmandu centre) is the largest stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in the world. It sits at the centre of a circular plaza ringed by monastery buildings and shops. The practice of circumambulating the stupa clockwise (kora) while turning prayer wheels is continuous; the community around Boudhanath is largely Tibetan diaspora. Entry fee: USD 3. The best time to visit is dawn, when monks complete their morning kora.

Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River is the most sacred Hindu temple in Nepal and one of the most important Shiva temples in Asia. Non-Hindus cannot enter the main temple compound but can view the ghats from the opposite bank. The cremation ghats are in active use; this is not a spectacle to be photographed casually.

Practical notes

Thamel, the tourist district in central Kathmandu, has everything from USD 10 dorm beds (the Base Camp Hostel is reliable) to comfortable mid-range hotels at USD 50-80 per night. Food in Thamel runs the range from excellent momos (steamed dumplings, NPR 150-250 per plate) to generic “international” menus.

For a proper sit-down meal in a Patan neighbourhood restaurant, Café de Temple near the Durbar Square does Newari set meals (including chiura - beaten rice, black soybeans, egg, buffalo meat preparations) at NPR 800-1,200. Eating Newari food in Patan is more interesting than eating pizza in Thamel.

The valley is accessible year-round. October-November is peak season for pre-trekking visitors and Himalayan views. June-September is monsoon: warm, wet, and significantly fewer tourists. The green season landscape in the surrounding hills is excellent, and room prices drop 30-50%.